Published : 26 Aug 2026, 04:55 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, the chief of Invest Bangladesh – which merged three state authorities related to business and investment – has been given status equivalent to that of a state minister, which he had previously enjoyed.
A Cabinet Division notification issued on Tuesday night said that while serving as the chairman of the Invest Bangladesh authority, he will receive the salary, allowances and other benefits given to a state minister.
The notification says the decision has been taken to assist the chairman in carrying out his duties and to further strengthen the authority's role in investment development and facilitation.
On Sunday, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) merged to form Invest Bangladesh.
Invest Bangladesh is now the country's top investment development agency and is being run under the Prime Minister's Office.
The Invest Bangladesh Bill, 2026 was passed in parliament on Jul 15 amid objections from opposition party members. After it became law, the new agency launched its journey. The logo of the new agency was also released.
Ashik Chowdhury, the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), was named the chief of the new agency.
Ashik was appointed as executive chairman of BIDA on Sept 12, 2024 by the interim government that came to power after the July Uprising. On Apr 7, 2025, in the middle of his tenure, he was given the rank of state minister.
He was appointed to the post for two years from the date of joining. Then, on Sept 18 of the same year, he was also given the responsibility of heading BEZA. At that time, he was also given the rank of senior secretary, as per the procedure for appointing senior secretaries to the post of BIDA executive chairman.
